Kroger Precision Marketing is expanding its private programmatic marketplace to include video and CTV (connected TV) inventory, fueling a convergence of three dominant media trends. What do you think of the advertising opportunity in purchasing CTV and video inventory tied to Kroger first-party data?

Eighty-one percent of companies are reliant on third-party cookies while 85 percent of consumers want brands to use only first-party data, according to a new report. What advice would you give marketers about shifting from reliance on third-party data to first-party data for ad targeting?

According to a new report, the three most prevalent personalization tactics are predictive personalization, email send-time optimization and buyer journey-based personalization. What do you think are the most effective, most overrated and most underrated personalization techniques and related data-mining approaches?

While grocers have earned credit for upgrading the quality and branding of their private labels, a new study finds store brands receive little marketing support. The study comes as reports indicate shoppers are trading down to store brands amid inflationary pressures.

Albertsons has introduced a digital health and wellness platform that enables customers to track their health and wellness goals and receive rewards, including grocery discounts, for surpassing them. How much consumer appeal do you see in Albertsons’ Sincerely Health platform linking loyalty rewards to fitness, nutrition and mental health goals?

Victoria’s Secret & Co. last week said it was launching “The VS & PINK Collective,” a pilot of its first loyalty program that gives Victoria’s Secret and Pink customers an opportunity to share rewards. Will the VS & Pink Collective rewards program be successful in driving incremental sales for the two Victoria’s Secret & Co. brands?

Amazon is believed to be behind the “generative” AI race between Microsoft and Google, which hosted media events in early February highlighting their generative AI technology. What advice would you have for retailers exploring generative AI systems like ChatGPT?

Convenience stores may not need to worry much about what customers have to say about them — if they have anything to say about them at all, but new research finds that reputations matter in the convenience store world. How influential are customer reviews on a convenience store’s reputation?

“De-influencing,” trending on TikTok since January, amounts to a backlash against overconsumption caused by social media influencers. Whether it’s bad for the influencer community is up for debate. Do you see the de-influencing trend on TikTok as an authentic backlash that may force influencers to reassess how they promote products and brands?

According to a new Gallup poll, U.S. consumers do not trust retailers as much as they used to — and they do not have much trust for anyone else, either. Do you agree with Gallup’s assessment of the state of trust for retail businesses and the steps retailers should take to earn customer trust?

A university study determined that only half of artificial intelligence-generated ads are open about the fact they were created by bots, potentially tricking consumers into false beliefs or causing confusion and dissatisfaction. Will AI-generated advertising content drive more benefits or chaos for marketers?

Shoppers believe grocers are making 14 times more profit than they actually are and also believe food-at-home inflation is about two times higher than reality, according to a new dunnhumby analysis. Are grocers in a “precarious position with their brand perception” in the face of rampant food inflation?

A new global survey finds 67 percent of U.S. consumers think ads based on location data are “creepy” with only 31 percent comfortable sharing their location in real-time. Will location-based marketing eventually overcome the consumer perception that it is a creepy technology?

Neiman Marcus’s CEO recently made a statement about the type of customer that the luxury department store operator wants to attract. Some sales staff believe he is putting out the wrong vibe, which might end up hurting the retailer. What do you see as the value of customers outside of the top two percent for luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus?

The Temu e-commerce site has only been live in the U.S. since September, but that didn’t stop the Chinese-owned marketplace from looking to connect on a long ball during the broadcast of Super Bowl LVII. What do you think Temu set out to accomplish with its Super Bowl Sunday commercials?

The broadcast of Super Bowl LVII featured a halftime show by Rihanna. ESPN reports she “crushed her performance.” The same may be true of some of the commercials that aired during the game. Which commercial do you think won Super Bowl LVII?

While promising to help marketers tap first- and second-party data amid new privacy restrictions, data clean rooms remain sparsely used, according to a new study. What do you think of the potential as well as the challenges of using data clean rooms to help marketers transition from third-party cookies for targeting?

For the second year in a row, the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day are within days of each other, posing challenges for grocers’ marketing teams. How should grocers thread the needle to promote both the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day during the same time period?

Consumer brands often feel as if they have little choice when it comes to purchasing ads from retail media networks, according to a new survey of its members by the Association of National Advertisers. How does consumer brand spending on retail media networks compare to other types of trading partner spending?

Generation Alpha may be about to take over as the biggest disruptor of retail as members of the youngest generation enter their teenage years. What advice would you have for retailers or brands about preparing for the emergence of Generation Alpha as consumers?

Lowe’s may be giving new meaning to the term lifetime customer value. The home improvement retailer is looking to appeal to consumers as young as five-years-old with a new pilot offering in-store birthday parties for kids. Do you expect Lowe’s “Build a Birthday” party pilot to be a success and widely scaled across the chain’s stores?

When many retailers nationwide were forced to operate as e-commerce-only companies in March of 2020 due to pandemic-related lockdowns, Shawn Wilkinson, e-commerce program manager for personalization at Dick’s Sporting Goods, saw an opportunity target the right “athlete”. Do you agree with Mr. Wilkinson that bite-sized content tests are a good way to pursue customization and personalization?

A senior correspondent for Business of Fashion took to the NRF Big Show stage to moderate a robust session covering a host of innovative strategies Coach has implemented through its partnership with Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion. Would a focus on key opinion leaders instead of influencers work for American retailers and brands in their social media campaigns and livestreaming?

A survey from Emarsys finds retailers failing to align with consumers when it comes to when, how and what they want to hear. For starters, the survey found 61 percent of retailers surveyed believe that their customers want to hear from them multiple times a week. Are retailers guilty of too frequent and often too irrelevant communications to consumers?

Lowe’s is bringing all of its One Roof Media Network ad sales and operations in-house. The home improvement retailer said the move will allow it to control all elements of its relationship with advertisers and partner with them in ways to achieve more meaningful interactions with shoppers. Will advertisers benefit from Lowe’s decision to bring its retail media operations under one roof?

The good news if you are a My Best Buy rewards program member is that you will no longer be required to make a minimum purchase to receive free standard shipping on online orders. The bad news is that to get the perk, you’ll have to pay with the retailer’s high interest credit card. How do you expect Be​​st Buy customers to react to changes to its My Best Buy rewards program?

Meta was dealt a significant blow last week when being found guilty by European Union regulators of effectively forcing users to accept personalized ads. Required changes for the parent of Facebook and Instagram may significantly limit access to data to sell such ads in the region. Will calls for opt-in only requirements for online ad tracking get louder in the years ahead?

Those Netflix subscribers with a New Year’s resolution to get in shape can now pursue their fitness goals using exclusive content from one of the biggest names in athletics. Nike has partnered with Netflix on an initiative called the Nike Training Club. What value will Nike derive from its content relationship with Netflix?

A newly recognized practice, “green hushing,” finds brands deliberately downplaying, underreporting or keeping silent about their emissions and carbon-offsetting targets. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks in companies toning down or not openly discussing their green targets?

Seven weeks of head-to-head competitions have brought us to the finals of the 2022 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge with six clear-cut winners and one tie. Who will be crowned the champ? Which spot was the best?

In the first major assessment of holiday selling, Mastercard estimated U.S. retail sales grew 7.6 percent year-over-year from November 1 through December 24. The performance topped Mastercard’s prediction that called for a 7.1 percent increase but fell short of last year’s 8.5 percent gain. What’s your feeling on how the 2022 holiday selling season went for U.S. retail?

A new study finds Millennials and Gen-Zers are the demographics that are purchasing digital fashion assets and fashion NFTs (non-fungible tokens) the most. Will interest by Gen-Zers and Millennials in fashion NFTs remain potent or will it fall off like other digital collectibles seem to have?

The year 2022 has been a big one for grocery stores in the RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge. This week’s matchup pits SPAR Ireland, the largest convenience store chain in the Republic, against Walmart, the largest in the world. What is your critique of the Christmas spots from SPAR Ireland and Walmart?

If only the legendary merchant John Wanamaker was alive today and using digital media. He’d have less cause to say, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” Where do you see retailers spending their ad budgets in 2023?

Marking its first-ever wearable-tech product, Kroger has developed a smart Holiday Apron that taps all five human senses to reduce the stress of holiday cooking. The apron supports an influencer-led marketing campaign. What do you think of Kroger’s Holiday Apron and the campaign’s influencer focus and holiday-cooking-stress theme?

TikTok is facing restrictions in some U.S. states, with some government figures pushing for more comprehensive, and even federal, bans, with big implications for brands and retailers promoting content on the single most popular app in the world. Should retailers keep the potential state or federal banning of TikTok in mind when building out marketing strategies?

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for retail, perhaps the biggest. A record number of consumers are expected to go shopping tomorrow (AKA Super Saturday), according to a forecast by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. How important will Super Saturday be to retail’s final results for the 2022 holiday selling season?

Retail’s long-struggling “mushy middle,” consisting of mid-price retailers without a strong value proposition and brand identity, has taken a bigger holiday hit than more strongly differentiated retailers, according to one retail expert. Do you see selling discounted packaway merchandise significantly damaging chains in the “mushy middle” of retailing?

Mental health oriented messaging is quickly becoming table stakes for retailers that cater to next gen consumers. Seventy-one percent of Gen Z consumers like when brands make mental health a part of their marketing, according to the American Psychological Association. Will Gen Z consumers become more or less interested in positive mental health messaging in the coming years?

Macy’s and Wegmans are going for the heart strings in round six of the 2022 RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge. Which one will join Etsy, Kroger, Publix, Amazon.com and Aldi UK in the finals? What is your critique of the Christmas spots from Macy’s and Wegmans?

Hat retailer Lids has launched a new store concept called Lids Hat Drop, which will focus on giving customers access to exclusive new products on a weekly basis. Do you see similar concepts to Lids Hat Drop being operated successfully in other areas of retail?

The new Toys “R” Us has been making more innovative, on-trend moves than it did before its most recent relaunch and that now extends to getting involved in Web 3.0. The toy retailer is launching a 10,000 item collection of non-fungible tokens. Is launching a line of NFTs a good idea for Toys “R” Us?

The World Cup has been a missed opportunity for the major players in the retail industry. Only one retailer, Walmart, has created a meaningful, themed campaign to run during the month-long World Cup, which ends Dec. 18. Did Walmart gain a marketing advantage running commercials during World Cup broadcasts?

Amazon.com is offering to pay some of its customers for access to their data in efforts to improve ad targeting, offering $2 dollars per month to a select group of users who choose to participate in an invite-only ad verification program. Do you think that Amazon’s customers will be willing to let the platform track their ad data for $2 a month?

No demographic group is monolithic, and this is particularly true of Baby Boomers whose generation stretches nearly 20 years. And one thing is certain: marketing to early or late Boomers in the same manner is likely to fall on a large number of deaf ears. Do you agree with the frequent claims that retailers ignore Baby Boomers in their marketing efforts?

Gift cards have become an easy answer for people who want to avoid sticking a gift recipient with an item they have to return. Now thanks to this year’s inflationary economy, the gift card that is most appreciated might be the one from the grocery store. What do the findings about people preferring gift cards for necessities mean for grocery stores over the holidays?

Forever 21 last week said that it was celebrating its one-year “meta-versary” by launching a fashion collection inspired by its experience operating in the metaverse. Do you see gaming platforms like Roblox as the logical entry points for retailers looking to test the metaverse waters?

The RetailWire Christmas Commercial Challenge may not rise to the competitive level of the World Cup but, for this week at least, it will bring together two international grocery powerhouses, each with their own holiday stories to tell. What is your critique of the Christmas spots from Aldi UK and Lidl?

A recent study finds that men are more likely to shop for groceries online when compared to women, who would rather shop in-store. Do you agree with the findings that men prefer shopping online and women prefer shopping in-store?

Amazon has long been the main go-to place for online product search, but a recent Washington Post article finds that it is no longer giving customers what they want because advertisements are muscling out the real search results. Do you see Amazon’s practice of displaying ads in search results reducing the faith that shoppers have in the site?